The Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge re-opened on Saturday, June 13th. My children and I had the pleasure to hike it on Sunday, June 14th. There were quite a few people there; probably 12 cars in the parking lot and more when we returned. Most people were pretty respectful of social distancing.
The Oaks to Wetland trail is one way; however, the signage is a little confusing. The instructions and arrows point to a counter-clockwise loop. We followed these signs and when we joined another path, the sign to the trail we had been on said "temporarily closed." We noticed that everyone else was going clockwise. In an attempt to keep with the spirit of the signs, we followed suit.
Plant life has taken over many spots on the trail, but no bushwacking is needed. Just be prepared to walk through grass and brush by stinging nettle. One of the last WTA work parties on this trail did a re-route and decomission. This section is holding up well. If I hadn't been looking for the old trail, I may not have noticed it. Not only has mother nature done a good job of re-establishing the plant life, but the re-route has taken care of a major drainage issue. I believe there is still work planned for this particular area, but we'd had quite a downpour in Ridgefield the previous day and there was no standing water in this particular spot.
As we approached the turnpike that was put in late 2019, there was one area with drainage problems, which is sure to be addressed once teams are able to return to the trail. The turnpike itself is looking good, but could use a little weeding.
The Friends of the Refuge have stated that starting the 19th of June the Oaks to Wetland Trail will be partially closed every Thursday for trail maintenance. The closure will be just beyond the paved section at the old oak. For now, admission is free. Please remember that dogs are not permitted outside of vehicles on refuge grounds.
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